New Pattern: Zero Waste Belt Bag

Hi Everyone, I have a new pattern. It’s a belt bag that slips onto a belt, and is a great little pattern for offcuts of denim.

It’s in my shop now. Please enjoy 25% off for the next month.

If I’m honest, it’s technically not a new pattern. I made it almost two years ago (for the Making Zen online retreat’s VIP bundle)…and never got around to putting it in my shop. I was reminded when I discovered the original sample during the week. I made a little improvement to the construction, filmed a sewalong video, and here it is.

This pattern came about when I was trying to think of a way to make a bum bag without zips. The idea being that if you used natural fibres and cotton sewing thread, the bag would be 100% compostable. The single button used for the closure could be cut off before composting.

Suitable fabrics for this bag are denim, lightweight canvas or upholstery fabrics. You could cut one from a jeans leg, although I haven’t tried this yet – there would be enough fabric though.

As you can see above, the pattern pieces for this bag fit into a rectangle and the shapes are tessellated. Small items like bags or hats will never be zero waste in the sense that they use the entire width of the fabric, because the pieces are simply too small. Instead, the pieces are designed to fit into a rectangle leaving the remainder of the fabric in a usable piece (or several can be marked across the fabric).

The bag is surprisingly roomy. It will fit…

It’s pretty quick to sew. The instructions are on a single page, drawn in an “infographic” style, with a YouTube link to the sewalong. The pattern pieces require printing out, 2 x A4 or US Letter sheets, or on A2 paper which could be used on a projector.

Cheers!